Broken Hearted
by WhiteLightning625
Summary: Harry gets his heart broken in his seventh year at Hogwarts, and therefore swears off women and dating for the rest of his life. Five years later, his two best friends give him an unexpected blind date at the Three Broomsticks, and the sparks fly!
1. Unfaithful

Chapter 1: Unfaithful

_7th year at Hogwarts._

Harry Potter walked out of his Transfiguration class in search for his girlfriend Kaylie, who he had been dating since a year ago. He had never been so in love with a woman. He wanted to ask for her hand in marriage. Ron and Hermione kept telling him not to rush into something like marriage that fast, but Harry's mind was made up. He already had the ring and he was going to propose that night. He kept looking for Kaylie, but all he could seem to find was Hermione and Ron making out in the hallway... yet again. "Don't you two ever breathe?" he asked.

"Hey Harry. What did you get on your Transfiguration test?" asked Hermione.

"An 80%," he replied.

"Not bad! I got a 72!" Ron said.

"So are you really going to ask her tonight?" Hermione asked, with a look of worry in her eye. Harry nodded, and pulled out a tiny box that had a diamond ring inside of it. "I'm going to take her to the fountain where we kissed for the first time, and propose to her there," said Harry, with a gleaming smile. His eyes were twinkling. "Now Harry, are you sure you want to do this? Marriage means the rest of your life. You've only been dating for a year." Hermione pointed out.

"I love her. That's all that matters to me. _I love her_."

"Well... all we can say is... good luck, mate," Ron said.

"Thanks... Well, I better go find her! I want to have a picnic by the lake with her instead of going to dinner!" He walked away from his friends, in search of his girlfriends. They waved as he walked around the corner. Hermione's eyes went down to the floor. Ron held her hand, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "He doesn't know... I can't believe it... he doesn't know," she said sadly.

Harry walked into the Great Hall, thinking she might be there with some of the other Ravenclaws. His eyes darted around the Ravenclaw table, watching for any sign of her. "That's odd," he said. "I could've sworn she'd be here." He looked over at the Gryffindor table, wondering if maybe she was waiting for him there. Then he looked at the Hufflepuff table, to see if she was talking with friends over there. He daringly looked at the Slytherin table, not knowing why she would really want to be there in the first place. She didn't have any friends in Slytherin... for all _he_ knew. He looked over there only to find strawberry blonde locks that unmistakibly belonged to a certain Ravenclaw. Her arms were around a tall, blonde boy. He then saw the blonde boy slowly lean over and touch the girl's lips with his. Harry's face was flushed with fury. Ron and Hermione walked into the Great Hall. They saw the look on Harry's face, and they saw Kaylie's arms tightly wrapped around a tall, blonde boy, his lips locked with her's. Harry walked with a fast pace over to the pair. Ron and Hermione followed him, vowing not to let Harry do anything stupid. "Kaylie? MALFOY?! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME, KAYLIE?!!"

"Harry, it's not what it looks like!" pleaded Kaylie.

"OH REALLY?! NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE! I THINK IT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!!!" shouted Harry. Everyone in the Great Hall was staring at him.

"Just face it Potter. Kaylie wants to be with a _real_ man, not a bloody fool like you!" said a very smug Draco Malfoy.

"You son of a--" Harry made a leap for him. Hermione and Ron caught him and held him back for all they could. "I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN KAYLIE! YOU GO AHEAD AND HAVE YOUR PRECIOUS MALFOY! I HOPE YOU BOTH ROT IN HELL!" Harry shook off Hermione and Ron from his arms and walked towards the doorway. "Harry, wait!" called Kaylie. "BUGGAR OFF!" yelled Harry as he briskly walked out of the Great Hall. Hermione and Ron immediately followed. Harry ran outside to the lake, a tiny box in his hand. Ron and Hermione ran to catch up. He stopped at the water's edge, looked down at the box which held the diamond ring he was going to give to Kaylie. Ron and Hermione stopped behind him. Hermione wiped a single tear from her eyes. She was so sad for Harry. He already had way too much tragedy in his life. He didn't need anymore of it. With a tear in Harry's eyes, and an expression of anger on his face, he threw the ring as hard as he could into the water, watching it disappear into the waves. "I've never trusting another woman again," Harry said sadly. "I CAN DO JUST FINE ON MY OWN!!!" he shouted. Hermione walked up to him, gently putting a hand on his arm. Harry was hurt and furious, but he let Hermione hug him. Ron stood there watching, not knowing what to say or do. "This had to happen anyway," he said, denying every word he said. "Kaylie was only distracting me from what I have to do, and that's KILL VOLDEMORT!" Ron and Hermione winced at the name. "That's the only thing in my life that matters now is killing him! It's the only thing that's important, and I can't let a silly girl get in the way of that. I have better things to do than be two-timed by a little slut like her!" He walked away from the lake, moving into the castle, where he headed for the Gryffindor common room. Whatever he could do to get his mind off Kaylie, he had to do it. Harry vowed to himself that he would _never_ let himself fall in love ever again. He had enough of getting hurt, and he wasn't going to let it happen again.


	2. A Night With Claudia

Chapter 2: A Night With Claudia

_Five years later._

Harry knocked on the Ron and Hermione Weasley's door. He waited outside the doorstep of Ron and Hermione's house for someone to answer the door, while he kicked around the brown autumn leaves that covered the welcome mat. It was a cool Friday evening. Harry was usually there on the weekends while Ron and Hermione went out to look after Claudia. He never minded being in on the weekends. He loved spending time with his godchild. Harry thought of her as his own daughter. Ron opened the door to greet Harry. "Hello mate! You know you don't have to knock. You can just come in, you know," he said.

"I know, but I like to be polite," replied Harry.

"Well, come in! We should have time to have ourselves some butterbeer and chat. Hermione's trying to straighten her hair tonight!"

"We should be here for awhile then!" Ron went over to the refrigerator and pulled out two butterbeers and set them on the table. Harry went straight for the playpen and picked up little Claudia, who was barely a year old. She had sparkling blue eyes like her father and curly brown hair like her mother. Harry loved teasing Ron that Claudia finally escaped the Weasley Red Hair curse. "Where's my girl!" said Harry, looking straight at Claudia. She giggled with happiness as she looked at her godfather. Harry went over and picked her up from her playpen. "How's my favorite godchild?" He let her squeeze his index finger. "Can you say 'Uncle Harry'?" Claudia giggled and made her best effort to say, "_Unca Haar_." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and set her back down in the playpen. He went over to the kitchen table to join his best friend. He sat down and took a swig of butterbeer. "So where to tonight?" Harry asked.

"We're going to this new resturant in London. It's a muggle place. Hermione's been dying to go there ever since it opened."

"Sounds nice. What time do you think you guys will be back?"

"Oh, I don't know. We might apparate to the Three Broomsticks and visit with Fred and George for awhile. I'd say we'll be back around 1am."

"Sounds like it'll be a fun time tonight. You aren't going to be stumbling back like last time are you?" Harry and Ron laughed.

"Well, I might be stumbling, but Hermione probably won't be drinking tonight. So, when are you finally going to be busy on a Friday night, Potter? You haven't been out in ages!"

"I have no desire to be with any other girl than the one right over there in the living room."

"Harry, it's been five years. You should at least come out with us sometime. Maybe do a few rounds of firewhiskey. What do you say?"

"Maybe. I'll think about it. I'm quite content just hanging out here with Claudia, though."

"Oh, don't keep using her as an excuse not to go out and meet new women. Why would you let someone like Kaylie stop you from meeting the woman of your dreams?"

"She _was_ the woman of my dreams. And then she made it very clear that I couldn't trust _any_ woman, especially the one I loved the most. So sue me if I gave up."

"Kaylie Williams was nothing more than a slut. You remember her reputation before you started dating her. She had already slept with most of the Ravenclaw guys."

"Correction---Kaylie _Malfoy_."

"You're kidding! They actually got _married_?" Harry nodded his head.

"It was in the Daily Prophet last week."

"Well see? If she could marry a Malfoy, then she obviously wasn't the right girl for you. There's _much_ better women out there." Harry took a huge gulp of his butterbeer. "I'd rather be alone for the rest of my life than take a chance at getting hurt for a second time. It's not worth it," Harry muttered.

"You don't mean that. Don't you want to have a family?"

"You guys _are_ my family. I don't need anything more than that."

"You are a stubborn son-of-a-bitch, you know that?" Harry laughed at Ron's comment. They both thought it best to change the subject at that point. Ron could see that Harry was obviously getting uncomfortable remembering what Kaylie did to him. And especially since he had just heard the news about her marrying Draco, he didn't need to relive that nightmare again. Harry and Ron got into a deep discussion about who was the best Quidditch player. Harry kept insisting that Oliver Wood was a much better keeper than the new keeper for the Cannons. Ron still shook his head and said, "No way, Chudley is _easily_ the best team out there. There's no way Puddlemere's team can catch up to them! And I would know---I _do_ work in the Wizard Games department!" said Ron.

"Puddlemere's only down by 10 points, Ron, I think they can manage! They're in second place!" argued Harry. Hermione finally came downstairs, her hair straightend. She was wearing an off-white blouse and a black, knee-length skirt. "How do I look, sweetie?" Hermione asked Ron.

"Like I under-dressed. I'll be right back..." said Ron, rolling his eyes. He set his empty butterbeer bottle on the counter by the sink and headed up the stairs to change out of his jeans. "So Harry," Hermione began. "How have you been this week?"

"Not bad. Things are going good at work. Me and the boys caught a couple of guys that were trying to sell jinxed items to muggles in their store. We made them fix all of their items or else they would lose their business. Then at a bar last night, there was this guy, probably in his 50's using the Imperius Curse on a lady so he could get 'lucky'. He's serving some time in Azkaban now."

"Must be fun working in wizard Law Enforcement."

"Oh, I'm having the time of my life. How about you? How's your department doing on that new charm?"

"Well, we're progressing. We've been working on the Speed-Reading Charm for a few months now."

"I could have used a charm like that back when we were in school!"

"You're telling _me_!" Ron came down the stairs, wearing a green sweater and black slacks. "Ready to go, honey?" Ron asked Hermione.

"Just let me give Claudia a fresh bottle." She went into the fridge grabbing a bottle, she pointed her wand and muttered "_Incendio!_" said Hermione, putting the bottle over the flame. When she could feel it was luke-warm, she let out the fire and gave it to Claudia. "Remember Harry--She goes to bed at 8:30. Don't let her stay up too late playing with her toys. I know you like to spoil her. There's some pizza in the fridge if you get hungry, and help yourself to anything," said Hermione, walking out the door, her hand in Ron's. "Don't worry Hermione, me and Claudia will be fine. Go have a good time!" Harry said.

"See you later, Harry," said Ron.

"Tell Fred and George I said hello," said Harry.

"Will do!" called Ron, shutting the door behind him. Harry picked up Claudia, who was sucking away at her bottle. "Hey sweetie! Just you and me tonight. You're the only lady I need in my life. I'd never have to worry about you hurting me, because I already know you love me. You _have_ to love your godfather, that's just a rule. People thought my godfather was a murderer of six people, but I still loved him. You'd never make me think you loved me and then go run off and make a Malfoy your godfather. We don't need any girls like that, now do we? Nope. All I need is you." He tickled her belly and she giggled, throwing down her bottle. "Yeah, that's right! You!" He bent over to pick up her bottle. Harry then smelled something foul. He handed Claudia the bottle and raised her in the air giving a big sniff. "Oh yeah sure! Mum and Dad walks out the door and you have to take an enormous dump, now do you? I'll thank Hermione later..." he said sarcastically. "Well, up we go to change that dirty little diaper of yours!"

Harry ate some pizza and watched the tele with Claudia on the couch next to him playing with one of her toys. It was way past her bedtime, but Harry loved spoiling her. She happily played with her doll as Harry watched his movie. He was so glad they had quite a bit of muggle items. Hermione and Harry were both brought up as muggles, so that was what they were most used to. Ron had an interesting time trying to get used to some of the muggle artifacts, but he was learning--slowly but surely. As much as Harry loved being a wizard, he was happy to watch some muggle television. He looked at the time; 10 o'clock. "Oh dear, you're mother is going to kill me. He took the toy away from Claudia and placed it in the playpen. She began to cry hysterically. Clearly, she was very cranky, because she should have been in bed two hours ago. Harry picked up the crying baby and brought her upstairs to her crib. He kissed her forehead, gently layed her down and handed Claudia her favorite teddy bear. She was still crying, but not as loudly as before. "Shh, shh," said Harry, attempting to soothe her. He walked over to the bookcase in Claudia's room and grabbed a book. "Okay sweetie, I'll read you a bedtime story." The sound of his voice telling the story calmed Claudia down instantly, and by the end of the story, she had fallen asleep. Harry turned on her baby monitor and went back downstairs to finish watching his movie. He made sure the baby monitor was loud enough downstairs so he could hear if Claudia was crying for anything. Taking a swig out of his butterbeer bottle, Harry stretched out on the couch and continued to watch his movie. It wasn't long before his eyes began to get very heavy, and he dozed off.

It was around 1am when Ron and Hermione had gotten back, as Ron had told Harry before. He woke up to the sound of Ron stumbling through the door. Clearly he done some shots of firewhisky with the twins down at the bar. Hermione was holding him up, and she did not look very happy. "Two weekends in a row! Ronald, I can't stand this!" cried Hermione in frustration. "Hey guys," Harry said groggily. "How was your night?" Ron burst out laughing. "We had a great time!" slurred a very drunk Ron.

"Well, it _was_ fun until this one here burped the alphabet with his brothers!" Hermione said with a very angry tone in her voice. Ron began to laugh harder at the mention of the burping he and his brothers did at the bar. Harry just shook his head trying not to laugh. He found Ron to be hilarious when he was drunk, but Hermione would only get madder if Harry laughed too. "Claudia's fast asleep upstairs. Everything was fine tonight," said Harry.

"Alright, well we'll see you tomorrow. Be here around 5:30, okay?"

"Sure thing. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Goodnight!" Harry apparated into his lonely one-bedroom appartment. He was exausted, so he put on his pajamas and brushed his teeth quickly, and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.


	3. Blind Date

Chapter 3: Blind Date.

When Harry walked into Ron and Hermione's house, he found it very strange that Claudia wasn't in her playpen as usual. "Is Claudia upstairs taking a nap? How come she's not down here?" Harry asked.

"She's at the Burrow with her Gran and Gramps," answered Hermione.

"Why? The whole point of me coming here was to watch her? Right?" Harry was extremely confused. If he wasn't here to watch Claudia, then why did Ron and Hermione insist he come over? "Harry, you're coming out with us tonight!" Ron said.

"What? You don't want a third wheel tagging along, do you?"

"You're not going to be a third wheel. We're going to the Three Broomsticks, and everyone's going to be there. They all want to see you. Fred and George told us last night that they hadn't seen you in at least three months," said Hermione.

"This is just your clever plan of getting me to meet someone, isn't it?"

"Harry, we just want you to go out, hang out with some old friends, have a few drinks, and have a fun time. For once in your life, let us treat you to a night. We definitely owe you for all those nights watching Claudia," Ron said.

"You know I don't mind watching her at all. I love being with her--"

"We know, Harry. But come on, you derserve a night out. You _need_ one," Hermione pleaded.

"I don't know about this..." said Harry, unsurely.

"Come on, mate. You and I are going to have a few firewhiskeys, and forget about all the worries in the world tonight!" Ron said. Harry gave up, knowing his friends were not going to let him get away with hiding out from the world.

He couldn't remember the last time he had been to the Three Broomsticks. Whenever he went out, it was either to go to work, or visit friends. He obviously saw Ron and Hermione the most, but once in awhile he'd drop in and say hello to Molly and Aurther at the Burrow. He also paid Remus Lupin a visit every now and then. Lupin was like a second godfather to Harry, as he had lost his real godfather during his 5th year at Hogwarts. He loved the people in his life, but he wouldn't allow himself to go out to bars or give himself a chance of meeting anyone new, because he just didn't know how he could take getting hurt for yet another time in his life. Anyone he had ever known as true family, by blood or named godfather left him somehow. His parents were murdered when he was only a baby, so he was left never knowing them, and stuck with his Aunt Petunia, the only blood family he had left, who treated him like scum. He had one glimmer of hope when Sirius Black came into his life, Harry's godfather, but when he died, Harry felt he had nothing left. When he met Kaylie the following year, he felt a little hope again in his heart. Harry was convinced he found _the_ girl. He wanted to marry her and have a family of his own. It was the only chance he felt at having the family he always wanted. If he couldn't have his parents back, then he wanted to have a wife and children he could love just as much. But when Kaylie broke his heart, he gave up trying to find someone to love. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried to love someone, they would never stay in his life for long.

Harry, Ron and Hermione apparated to the front door of the Three Broomsticks, which was pretty busy--not surprising for a Saturday night. They walked inside only to find Fred and George at the bar, egging on their friend Lee Jordan to do another shot with them. Surprisingly, Bill was also there with his wife Cassandra. The two of them looked very relaxed at one of the tables, Bill's arm around his wife, both sipping butterbeers. Harry figured it must have been "grandchildren night" at the Burrow. The three of them walked over to bar to order their drinks. Hermione got herself a butterbeer. Harry was about to do the same when Ron stopped him. "Hey Rosmerta! Get me and my mate a couple shots of firewhiskey!" Ron said. Madme Rosmerta did a double take when she saw Harry. "Harry Potter! Why, I haven't seen you in years! How have you been?" asked Madame Rosmerta.

"I've been working," answered Harry. "I work for the Ministry--Law Enforcement. I'm in Misuse of Magic right now, but I'm hoping to become an Auror."

"Oh, well that's wonderful. It's so good to see you again!" she said, placing the two shots on the bar. Fred and George immediately ordered some Firewhiskey, so they could join in. "Where ya been, Potter?" Fred asked.

"You been hiding in a cave or something?" asked George, lightly punching Harry in the arm. Harry shrugged. "Yep, that's it. I've been in a cave for all this time," he said to the twins sarcastically. "Alright, enough talking, let's drink!" Fred said as their firewhiskeys joined the other two that were already on the bar. The four of them each grabbed a glass and took their shot. Fred and George both pounded their fists on the bar. They were getting an early start, as usual. "This is going to be hilarious!" said Harry to Ron, looking over at the already drunk twins. Fred and George were the life of every party, and it only got better when they were drunk. Unfortunately, since they were usually up to no good when they were sober, it only got worse once they were drinking.

During the evening, Harry was thoroughly amused by Fred and George the drunker they got. Fred spent most of his time trying to hit on all of the ladies, spouting out pathetic pick up lines such as "Are you good at charms? Well you've sure _charmed_ me!" and "Wanna go for a ride on my broomstick?" George played drinking games with Bill, Ron, and Harry most of the night, and once he was too sloshed to play another round, he climbed up on top of the bar and did what he called "The Drunken Weasley Dance." Madme Rosmerta did not seem surprised at all by their antics, but she didn't look very pleased, either. She calmly told George to get off of the bar before she had to kick him and his brother out.

Harry was on his third firewhiskey when another friend had decided to join the group. Fred and George were completely hammered, Ron had a strong buzz going, and even Hermione was beginning to get a little tipsy. Everyone was having a good time, even Harry. The front doors of the Three Broomsticks swung open, only to reveal a beautiful girl in a tight pair of jeans, black tank top covered with a leather jacket to match, and heeled boots on her feet. Her hair was flaming red, long and flowing. Harry noticed it was a lot longer than the last time he had seen it. He felt his body tingle all over. This girl was gorgeous! Breath-taking. The flaming red hair could belong to none other than a Weasley.

"Ginny?" Harry asked himself under his breath. His eyes looked like they would pop out of his head. Ron looked over at him wanting to laugh. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you--Ginny's back from France," he said.

"Done with school already?"

"Well, she finished school a few months ago, but she wanted to stay there for awhile. She finally got a place up here though."

"Oh... I see..." Harry was completely lost for words, and Ron knew it. He had wanted to set up Harry and Ginny for ages, so this was going to be quite fun. Ginny walked over to the table where Ron and Harry were sitting, sipping on butterbeers. "Ron! Harry!" she said running over to them. Ginny hugged her brother, and then she went to hug Harry. He was surprised, but it felt nice to be in the arms of a woman again, even if only for a couple of seconds. "How have you been?" asked Harry.

"Well, I just finished Healing school a couple of months ago. Stayed in France for awhile to admire some of the sights before I finally left for back here. What have you been up to?"

"Well, I'm working for Magical Law Enforcement. I'm in Misuse of Magic, waiting for an opening in the Auror department."

"I bet that's been fun! How about you, Ron? Having fun in Magical Games?"

"You better believe it! I get paid to watch Quidditch! I couldn't ask for a better job!"

"How's Claudia doing? Is she talking yet?"

"She can say a few words, but she's not making sentences yet. She's walking around everywhere though. We've got to keep a good eye on her, now!"

"I can't wait to see my little niece! Well, I'm gonna go see how Hermione's been." Ginny walked over to the bar and gave Hermione a hug, then ordered herself a Sparkling Twist, one of the drink specials that night. "When did Ginny look like that?" Harry asked Ron.

"Since her 6th year, only you were too busy to notice."

"I guess so! Man, she looks great."

"Is this coming from the same man who said he'd never date again?"

"I never said I wanted to date her."

"This is _Ginny_ we're talking about, not just any girl. You've known her for a long time."

"I think I need another Firewhiskey..."

Most of the night, it almost seemed as if Ginny were teasing Harry. At one point of the night, she caught his eye, and took off her jacket while he was looking, reavealing her beautifully trimmed body in her black tank top. Ginny, Hermione, and Bill's wife Cassandra were all on the dance floor. All of the guys stayed at the bar, as they were never much for dancing. Harry found it hard to keep his eyes off of her. He threw back his seventh Firewhiskey of the night, and he was feeling quite lightheaded. When a slow song came on, Hermione and Cassandra came rushing to the bar to grab their husbands. Bill was happy to dance with his wife, but Ron groaned as Hermione dragged him onto the dance floor. A couple of blondes went up to the Weasley twins and asked them to dance with them. They were sloshed and hungry for women, so they accepted without question. Ginny slowly walked up to Harry, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. "Dance with me? We're the only two not out there..." Harry was speechless. All he could do was nod his head. She took his hand and lead him onto the dance floor. Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck. Harry's hands held her waist. Ginny pulled Harry closer to her as they danced, so that their bodies were touching each other as they swayed back and forth. Harry breathed in the smell of Ginny's perfume. His heart was beating. It was a feeling he hadn't felt in the longest time.

Harry and Ginny were sitting at a table together. Ginny cut Harry off from the Firewhiskeys, because he didn't need to be any drunker than he already was. She had a good buzz going though, and she sipped on a cocktail as the two of them chatted. "You know, I miss our days at Hogwarts! We used to have such a good time!" said Ginny.

"They were crazy times, that's for sure!" Harry commented.

"Oh my God, remember back when I couldn't speak two words to you? What a crush I had!" she laughed.

"I was just too stupid to realize it."

"But you knew I had a crush on you. It was obvious!"

"Well, yeah, I knew that part... I just didn't see then... how beautiful you were." Ginny blushed and took a huge gulp of her cocktail. She laughed it off, pretending it was only a joke. "Well at least I wasn't dumb enough not to notice how hot you were!" she joked.

"Okay, saying I'm hot is a bit out there!"

"Well... you are. Look at you, you're all buffed up now!"

"Well, I guess I've been training myself a little for the Aurors..." He cheeks went pink at the compliment. Ginny took another sip out of her drink and then slowly looked back up at Harry. "So..." she said. "Where's your girlfriend tonight?"

"Girlfriend? I don't have a girlfriend."

"You mean Ron was right? You _still_ haven't dated since Hogwarts?" Harry nodded his head. "So... you haven't been kissed by a woman for five years now?" He shrugged and blushed. Ginny seductively leaned over across the table, giving him a good shot of cleavage. "I guess we'll have to change that, huh?" she smirked. She put her hand on the back of his head, pulling his lips to hers. Harry missed that feeling all too much, and being drunk only made him want it more. When they parted lips, he pulled Ginny closer to him and kept kissing her. He didn't want the feeling to end. The two eventually found themselves a dark corner, where they continued to snog for the rest of the night. Hermione caught a glimpse of them before they left. A shit-eating grin plastered across her face and she ran over to Ron to tell him what she saw. "He's kissing her, Ron! Can you believe it?! They're snogging over there in the corner!!" Hermione told Ron excitedly. Fred and George were also within earshot, so the three Weasley brothers quickly turned around to see Harry and Ginny locking lips at a dark, corner table. They all yelled in excitement. Fred got Madme Rosmerta's attention. "Hey sweetie, could you get us six shots of firewhiskey? Thanks!" Madme Rosmerta poured out the shots while Fred got the attenion of his brother Bill, his wife and Hermione. The shots were laid out on the bar in front of all six of the group. They all raised their glasses and Fred spoke. "This is for Harry and Ginny in hopes they get laid tonight!" They all threw down their shots in celebration of Harry _finally_ allowing himself to fall for a woman again.


	4. The Next Morning

Chapter 4: The Next Morning

Ginny Weasley woke up in warm arms with a pounding headache. Her and whomever she was with wasn't wearing any clothing. The appartment definitely wasn't hers. _What in the world did I do last night? _ Ginny wondered. She couldn't have gotten _that_ drunk, could she? She would never sleep with a stranger, and she remembered seeing her siblings and old friends, so she knew they would never let her do anything stupid. Ginny turned around to get a look at the person who was holding her in his arms. The first thing she saw was a scar on the forehead. It all came rushing back to her, and she suddenly had a warm feeling inside of her. She wasn't ashamed at all of what had happened last night. Turning the rest of her body over, she lightly kissed the lips of the sleeping wizard next to her. "Morning," she whispered into his ear. Harry opened his eyes slowly. He couldn't remember much of last night either, and he too, had a splitting headache. All he could see was a face that appeared to be smiling and long, fiery red hair. _Oh Merlin, what did I get myself into last night?!_ He quickly reached his hand out to his nightstand to grab his glasses. His glasses revealed the beautiful woman he slept with was Ginny Weasley. He remembered what had happened, but only vaguely. Harry definitely wasn't planning on it happening, he knew that, but he didn't regret it either. He smiled at her and ran a hand through her messy bed-head hair. An awkward silence then set in. What were they supposed to say to each other now? They were both naked and well aware of they did the night before. Ginny gave a nervous laugh and attempted to break the silence. "Well, if I had known when I was eleven years old that I'd end up in a bed with Harry Potter..." They laughed weakly, following a painful pause. Harry then spoke up. "Ginny, how exactly did we get from the bar... to here?" he asked.

"Well we apparated, of course!"

"No no, that's not what I mean. One minute we were talking at the Three Broomsticks, and then I wake up and we're... together. How...?" He was lost for words. Ginny smiled and brushed her hand on his cheek. "Well..." she said. "Like this..." She leaned over and gently kissed his lips. The rush that he felt last night when they kissed for the first time happened all over again. Harry didn't want to stop. It had been much too long since he had this. All those years that he was worried about getting hurt again didn't even matter to him at that moment. All he knew is that he did not want the feeling he had to ever end. Harry rolled over on top of Ginny and continued to kiss her, knowing quite well of what would happen next. Needless to say, it was one of the best mornings he ever had.

Ginny left around 10am because she had to begin her first day at St. Mungos at noon. Harry decided to give Hermione a call and let her know what happened. He knew that she and Ron had been begging him to meet new women. Wait until they hear that it was Ginny of all people! He thought he would do Ron a favor and let Hermione tell him, considering he may not like the idea of his best friend sleeping with his sister. In general, Harry didn't think Ron would really want to know about his sister's sex life anyway. He dialed their number quickly, knowing Hermione would be the one to answer the phone. She was the only one who really knew how to use it! "Hello?" she said as she picked up the phone.

"Hey, it's Harry. Guess who just left my appartment?"

"Ginny?" Harry could almost hear the grin Hermione had plastered all over her face over the telephone. "How did _you_ know?" he asked.

"We all saw you snogging with her at the bar last night. When we saw that she left with you, we had a feeling you'd be having a good night!" she laughed.

"So Ron knows too?"

"_And_ Fred, _and_ George, _and_ Bill, _and_ Cassandra."

"Well... I guess news travels fast around here."

"Well it does when you're locking lips in front of a bar full of Weasleys! Anyway Harry, I was actually going to give you a call, but since you did it first, I'll just tell you now. There's going to be a barbeque today at the Burrow and Molly wanted me to let you know about it. They would have sent an owl as usual, but Errol seemed to be looking very ill today."

"Oh, okay. Sounds like fun. What time?"

"I think they're expecting us at around three," she said.

"Okay, I'll be there. Maybe I can pick up some dessert on the way there."

"Great, I'll see you then!"

"Okay then... bye." They both hung up the phone. Harry then went to the bathroom to shower and shave, getting ready to face the day. He then had a haunting thought... did Mr. and Mrs. Weasley already know about him and Ginny? Would they by the time he got there? He hoped with all his might as he walked into the shower that Fred and George, along with anyone else who knew, wouldn't say anything to anyone about it. Harry wasn't ready to just jump into a relationship, so he especially wasn't ready to tell everyone about what happened between him and Ginny last night.

Harry showed up at the Burrow around 3:30, carrying an apple pie that he bought from the bakery. He knocked loudly on the front door. Molly Weasley opened the door to greet Harry. "Oh Harry! How good it is to see you!" she said warmly.

"I brought a little dessert," Harry said, handing Molly the pie. "Oh, you know you don't have to do that, sweetie!" Mrs. Weasley set the pie down on a table next to the door, leaving her arms free to hug Harry and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Come in! Come in!" she said to Harry. Mrs. Weasley took the apple pie into the kitchen, where Ron and Hermione were helping with dinner. He stepped in and saw an abundance of red hair. Percy and his fiance, Penelope, were talking with Mr. Weasley over by the fireplace. Charlie, his wife Evelina, and their three children (Isabella-4, Ethan-2, and their four month old, Rosalyn), all with flaming red hair like the rest of the Weasley children, were all on the couch watching the tele. Claudia was the only Weasley so far that seemed to escape the red hair. Next to the couch was Bill and Cassandra in the loveseat, and on the floor were Fred and George, playing with Bill and Cassandra's two year old son, Edward and little Claudia. When they saw Harry, the four who had seen him last night gave wide grins, knowing very well of what happened. Harry could have sworn he saw Fred give him a little wink and George made a perverted hand gesture when his father and mother were looking away. Harry immediately went over to them. He leaned in and whispered, "Don't say _anything_!" He walked away quickly to avoid a drawn out conversation about it. The last thing Harry needed was that subject brought up in front of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. He didn't even want to think about what Mr. Weasley might do to him if he found out that just last night he shared a bed with not only his youngest child, but his only daughter. Harry doubted he would leave the Burrow without losing a limb or two if they found out. He went into the kitchen, where he could faintly hear Hermione and Ron helping Mrs. Weasley cook. Hermione turned her head as she stirred pasta on the stove. "Hello Harry!" greeted Hermione. "Sleep well last night?" She tried her best to hold in her laughter. Harry smirked. "Never slept better!" he replied brightly, hoping Mrs. Weasley wouldn't have any idea what they were talking about. Mrs. Weasley walked out of the kitchen to tell Aurther to start cooking the chicken on the grill. Ron walked over to Harry and quietly said, "I'd emphasize the 'never slept' part if I were you!" Hermione and Ron laughed. Harry looked completely mortified. "You guys can't say anything about this! And Ron, I'm surprised _you're_ not the one ready to throw my arse into the Atlantic with a bludger tied to me, considering she's your _sister_ and all! The last thing I need is your parents knowing about it!"

"Come on! You and Ginny! My parents would _love_ the thought of you as a son-in-law!" beamed Ron.

"Shh! Keep it down! First of all, we're not really even dating, so don't start that bloody son-in-law nonsense. Second, me and Ginny still have a lot of talking to do, and I don't think it would be nice if rumors started about me and her when we haven't even discussed it on our own yet."

"But Harry, you told me she had just left when you called, and it was a little after 10. Surely you two had plenty of time to talk this morning..." said Hermione, a bit confused.

"Well... er... you see... Ginny and I... didn't accomplish that much... _talking_... this morning..." Ron and Hermione's jaws dropped. "Harry! You can't be serious! _Again_?!" exclaimed Ron. Harry's face turned a shade of crimson, and he shyly looked down at the floor. Hermione was in a fit of giggles, yet she thought it was very sweet what Harry and Ginny seemed to have between them. If Harry was going to be sleeping with women again, she was glad it was with Ginny and not just any girl.

Outside, Mrs. Weasley set up two picnic tables for everyone to eat at. Harry's mouth watered when he saw the barbecue chicken come off the grill. There was also macaroni salad, tomato salad, and a basket of potato chips that everyone had been picking on for the past half hour. Since a majority of everyone at the table all had ministry jobs, it was the hot topic during dinner. They discussed who they wanted for the next Minister of Magic. Nearly everyone agreed that Mr. Weasley would be perfect for the job, however, Percy felt he could do just as good of a job, if not better. Harry felt that Mr. Weasley deserved the position more, though. He had paid his dues with the Ministry for years, and he treated everyone like gold. Not only that, he wasn't making nearly enough as he should have been. If anyone deserved to have an important position with the ministry, it was Mr. Weasley.

Around 8:30, Ginny came back home from work looking exausted. Her eyes widened when she saw Harry was there. She blushed remembering being with him earlier that morning. Ginny hoped that no one else knew about it, as she would have hated to have to explain to her parents why she got drunk and woke up in a strange bed. Surely her father would lock her in her old bedroom and never let her out. She slowly walked up to him, not knowing exactly what to say to him. "Hi Ginny," Harry said breathlessly.

"Hey Harry," she replied. "Do you want to go out back or something where we can talk?"

"I think we better." They slipped out of the house together into the Weasley's backyard. The two of them sat down at the picnic table where dinner was served earlier that day. "So..." Ginny said, lost for words.

"So..." said Harry, awkwardly. "Some night that was last night," he blurted out.

"Yeah... well... _and_ this morning," said Ginny. They laughed at the memory.

"The thing that's bothering me is that I haven't been with a woman for five years, as you already know, and it's just really scary getting back into this again," he confessed.

"Well, I understand. It hasn't been easy for me, either. Ever since my fourth year, I've been convincing myself that I only thought of you as a friend... and then all this happened. I don't know what to think of it!"

"But I er, have to admit... I haven't felt that good in a long time."

"Same here." There was a short pause as the two gazed into each other's eyes. Then they both looked down at the ground and laughed nervously. "So then... what do we do now?" asked Harry.

"Well... we could go out again... if you want to, that is."

"Yeah, I want to... I'd like that very much."

"Me too," said Ginny. "I think we'll take it a bit slower though... no more morning surprises for a bit, 'kay?"

"Deal," said Harry, laughing. "It's a lot easier doing this dating stuff when you're liquored up, isn't it?" he said jokingly.

"Oh, I know it!" Harry touched her face, and lightly kissed Ginny's soft lips. Ginny squeezed his hand, getting up from the picnic table. They went back inside and had some tea with the rest of the family. Harry and Ginny tried to act as if nothing was different between them. Fred and George teased Harry and Ginny with kissy-face motions. Harry quickly walked over to the trouble-making twins and took them aside. "Listen you two, you can't breathe a word about me and Ginny!" Harry whispered sternly.

"Oh come on, Harry, you're no fun!" said Fred.

"Way to rain on our parade, Potter!" said George.

"Not a word, you guys. Ginny and I are taking things very slow, and neither of us are ready to let anyone know about it. So you need to promise me that you won't tell _anyone_ who does not already know about us, you got that?"

"Oh fine," Fred said dissappointed.

"Damn... I had so many jokes about you wanking over Gin--"

"Shh!" Harry said, throwing his hand over George's mouth. "If your father finds out about what happened last night, I'm a dead man."

"Fine," George promised, rolling his eyes.

The rest of the night went much smoother. Fred and George kept their word, and turned their attention their newest item at their joke shop--boxer shorts that would fart every time you sat down. It was pretty late at night by the time everyone had left the Burrow. As usual, Mrs. Weasley gave Harry a kiss on the cheek and told him to stop by any time. Mr. Weasley told Harry to get back to him about the cellular phones that he promised he could get a good look at. When Harry apparated back to his appartment after saying goodbye to everyone, he was surprised to see that Ginny standing right in front of him. "Oh Ginny!" he said, smiling. "What are you doing here? I thought you went back to your place."

"Well, I wanted to say goodbye to you properly without worrying about everyone else."

"I was hoping you would say that," he said, walking to her. Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry and kissed him deeply and passionately. Harry ran his fingers through her hair, breathing in her purfume. "Well..." said Harry. "I'd ask you to stay, but..."

"Yeah, I know. I probably shouldn't. Not yet." Harry nodded. He couldn't help but think that it would be nice to fall asleep with her in his arms without a ton of firewhiskeys in his system. But they both promised each other to take it slow. Harry reminded himself that he went from swearing off women to dating his best friend's sister in only one night. It was going to take time for him to feel completely comfortable. "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night? I get out of work around 6pm. Are you free?"

"Yeah, I have the morning shift tomorrow, so I'll be out by the afternoon. 7:30?"

"Perfect. I'll be at your appartment by 7--"

"How about I just meet you here?" Ginny asked, cutting him off.

"Well, okay, if you'd rather do that," said Harry. "Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

"There's this nice place in Hogsmeade called Madme Fiona's Eatery."

"Sounds great. We'll do that. Well... goodnight, Ginny."

"Goodnight, Harry," she said, kissing him sweetly on the lips. Ginny apparated back to her appartment and Harry wandered into his bedroom, where he changed into his pajamas and drifted off to sleep.


	5. Dining With Ginny

Chapter 5:

Dining With Ginny

Ron and Hermione visited Harry's appartment with little Claudia after he got out of work. He was extremely nervous about his date, and wasn't quite sure what to expect. The last time he was out on a date, he was in Hogwarts. Back then, a typical date was a trip to Hogsmeade, going into the shoppes and stopping for a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. This was going to be very different. Harry had never gone out on a date as an adult. He paced back and forth in his bedroom, breathing heavily. Ron and Hermione sat on his bed, watching him as he nervously went through his closet. "What do people wear on dates? Five years ago, I would have been fine with a hoodie and a pair of jeans!" complained Harry.

"Don't wear jeans, Harry," Hermione said firmly.

"Well, we're going to a resturant in Hogsmeade. Should I dress up, wear my robes...?"

"Try something simple," suggested Hermione, attempting to keep Claudia on her lap, who was much more interested in playing with Hedwig, who was perched in her cage. "Like what?" he asked Hermione.

"A sweater and slacks normally works for me, mate," Ron said to him. He rummaged through the closet to find a nice sweater that more than likely was knitted for him by Mrs. Weasley. Harry felt like a muggle high school girl looking for the perfect outfit for the big dance. He pulled out a royal blue sweater he recieved for Christmas from Mrs. Weasley last year. He then pulled out a pair of kakhi slacks. "Think this'll be alright?"

"Sure, Harry, that'll be fine," Hermione said warmly. Harry sighed deeply and walked into the bathroom to change. Once he was in his clothes, he grabbed a comb from the medicine cabinet and tried to straighten out his messy black hair. He came out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom to recieve approval from his friends. "It's perfect, Harry," Hermione said. "Ginny will find you very handsome tonight."

"Maybe you can get lucky like last time!" Ron joked, Hermione smacking him in the gut. Harry laughed at his friends. Looking down at his watch to check the time, he told Ron and Hermione that it was already quarter after seven. "We should probably get going," said Hermione. Hermione grabbed Claudia, who was about to get her fingers nibbled on by Hedwig. They all walked out to the living room, to the fireplace so they could floo themselves back home. "Good luck, mate," Ron said to Harry. "Thanks," replied Harry. Ron threw down the floo powder and firmly voiced, "490 Fribble Street." The three of them disappeared into the fire.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry heard the knock on his door. He took a deep breath, and opened the door to reveal a beautiful red-head wearing a black dress, high heels, and the leather jacket she wore two nights before. "Ginny... you look great," Harry said breathlessly.

"You too," said a smiling Ginny. An uncomfortable pause immediately followed. Harry and Ginny studied each other longingly. "Well, er... shall we go?" Ginny asked awkwardly.

"Yes, yes, let's go," Harry said. The two disapparated from Harry's appartment to Hogsmeade village, where they stood in front of Madme Fiona's Eatery. Ginny took Harry's hand and lead him into the resturant. When they were seated, they both ordered butterbeers. _Now what?_ Harry thought to himself. _What do people do on dates?_ "So..." Harry began, attempting conversation. "How's it been at St. Mungos?"

"Pretty good," she answered. "I'm working with a lot of nice people, and the patients have treated me wonderfully. It's a much tougher job than I ever imagined, though. Breaks my heart every time I see the Longbottoms. I've already seen Neville--he was there on Sunday."

"I feel just awful for him," Harry said sympathetically. "I can't imagine what it must be like for him."

"They're slowly getting better, now that there's no Death Eaters to bribe the hospital to worsen their condition, but I'm afraid that they might be so far gone, there may not be much hope for them."

"Well, if they're making a little progress now, maybe there's still a chance."

"Maybe. Lockhart's doing much better, though. He seems to remember his fear of pixies quite clearly, but he can't remember doing any of the stuff he wrote about in 'Magical Me.'" Harry began to laugh, remembering Lockhart's pixie incident in Harry's second year of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Ginny had an angered look on her face. "It's not funny, you know! Poor Lockhart might not ever get his memory back!" she said to him sternly.

"Oh, come off it! He never did any of those things--he was a fraud! Lockhart erased the memories of the people who really did save the day so he could take credit. He was going to do it to Ron and me, but with Ron's faulty wand, it backfired--luckily! Didn't you know that?"

"No," she said, looking quite surprised. "That was the night you saved me, right?" Harry nodded his head.

"Lockhart was supposed to be the one to get you," he said. "because he kept telling people that he knew how to get into the Chamber of Secrets. Ron and I caught him trying to run away. He was going to let you die in there! We threatened him, and had him come with us into the Chamber. Then somehow, he got a hold of Ron's wand, and told us he would erase our memories, and then tell the press he was too late to save you. I could have killed him that night, and he deserved to have his memory damaged after what he did to so many people. He didn't care if you were dead or alive--just as long as he could make the front page!" Harry couldn't believe how angered he was getting at just the memory of it. He remembered being so scared that Ginny would die in his arms that night. He remembered Tom Riddle standing there, taking the life out of her the weaker she got. Maybe for a moment that night, he realized just how much he cared for her. For one, amazing moment, Harry saw Ginny as more than Ron's little sister, and more than just a friend.

Ginny sat across from Harry, completely shocked by what she just heard. Her jaw was dropped, thinking of how she would have died if Gildory Lockhart succeeded in erasing Harry and her brother's memories. "He's not so handsome now, is he?" Harry said with an angry sarcasm. Ginny looked down at the table, feeling awful for ever thinking Lockhart was a hero for anything. She realized that he was nothing more than a coward. "No... you're right, he's not..." she said quietly. "Besides, I've always thought you were more handsome than him, anyway," Ginny said, meeting his eyes and showing a small smile. Harry smiled back at her, calming down the more he looked into her sparkling blue eyes. "Harry, one thing I've always known is that _you_ were the one to save my life that night, regardless of any information I ever had about Lockhart. I wouldn't be sitting here if it wasn't for you, and I've known that ever since that night. I owe you my _life_." Harry reached his across the table to hold her hand. Neither of them really knew what to say. Luckily, the waiter came by to take their order.

By the time their salads arrived, they were talking about some of the antics Fred and George pulled during their years at Hogwarts. They laughed hysterically at the memory of their triumphant escape from Hogwarts back when Dolores Umbridge was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Harry had to catch his breath when they mentioned the fireworks that they created where if you tried to Vanish them, they would multiply times ten. "You know what, Ginny, you're brothers are a couple of bloody geniouses, you know that?" Harry said, the two of them both laughing loudly. "It was certainly never boring living with them! Poor Mum!" Ginny said. "Of course, there was one time I never particularly forgave them for," continued Ginny. "Once during the summer holiday before my sixth year, they put a hex on my shampoo to make my hair turn blue! I was so angry at them. Mum finally figured out how to turn it back after she scolded Fred and George." Harry began to laugh even harder.

"Blue?" he said, unable to control his laughter.

"Oh believe me, I got them back!"

"What did you do?" asked Harry.

"I turned their pumpkin juice into tabasco sauce!"

"Brilliant!" laughed Harry. "But how did you do that outside of school?"

"Well," Ginny said. "They always say, 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.'"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Fred and George had just invented assorted powdered drinks that you could dump into someone's beverage. It became a favorite prank of Fred and George's customers at their store in Diagon Alley. The flavors were inspired by Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. So, one day I snuck up to their room, stole a couple of the tabasco packets, and dumped them into their juice glasses the following morning when they weren't looking!"

"You are unbelieveable, Ginny!" In the midst of their reminiscing, the waiter came back with their meals.

After the bill was paid, Harry and Ginny were not ready for the date to be over, so they walked around the village together, hand in hand. They took a trip into the candy store and bought some sweets that they ate on a bench in front of the store. Zonko's Joke Shop was quite amusing as well, looking at all of the new items. Some of them were very Fred and George inspired, like fake wands that blew bubbles every time you tried to make a spell. They eventually wandered into the cafe and had some tea to end their evening.

They arrived back at Harry's place around ten o'clock. It was time for Ginny to go home, but neither one of them wanted her to leave. Harry looked straight into her blue, sparkling eyes. "I had a great time tonight," he said warmly. Ginny smiled and took his hand. "Me too," she said. Harry pulled Ginny closer to him, and deeply kissed her lips. Ginny was very tempted to stay there the night again, and Harry was tempted to let her. They had to stay strong, though, and they both knew that. Harry and Ginny both knew better than to rush a relationship, as both of them had bad experiences doing that. "Well... I guess I better get going. I have to get up early for work," Ginny said.

"I can apparate with you to your place and make sure you get back okay, if you'd like me to."

"No, that's okay. I'm a big girl, I'm fine. I just spent four years in France on my own, I think I can handle an appartment outside of London!" They laughed, but they both knew it was time for her to leave. "Would you like to go out again?" Ginny asked.

"Sure, any ideas?"

"Not sure yet. We'll talk to Hermione and Ron this week and figure out something that maybe all four of us could do together."

"That'd be fun. Well... goodnight," said Harry.

"Goodnight," replied Ginny. They both held each other, kissing goodnight, but holding like they didn't want to let go. Eventually, Ginny slipped out of Harry's strong arms and disapparated from his appartment.

Hours Harry laid in his bed, unable to erase the glowing smile off of his face. Something about Ginny made him feel as if he were standing on top of the world. He loved every minute of it, and as scared as he was, he hoped that this time around, it would end much better than last time with Kaylie.

...Or perhaps maybe not "end" at all...


	6. Christmas at the Burrow

Chapter 6:

Christmas at the Burrow

Harry and Ginny continued dating for the next couple of months. The feelings got more intense the more they saw each other. They even got to the point where Ginny was staying at Harry's place most of the time. Only two or three days out of the week did she actually sleep in her own appartment. Their relationship was slowly becoming more public, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were so thrilled to find out the two of them had been dating. Molly whispered to Ron one day and said, "He just may be an official part of the family soon enough!" Ron shook his head, smiling. "He already _is_ family, Mum. He's been family since the day he asked how to get onto platform nine and three quarters. He's _always_ been a brother to me." Molly gave a warm smile. She knew Ron was right--Harry always _was_ family the moment they met him.

Every Saturday, Harry and Ginny would meet everyone at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade for drinks and laughs. On Fridays, if they didn't have any real plans, they would babysit Claudia together. Harry secretly enjoyed "playing house" with Ginny. He could picture it so clearly in his mind: Ginny, his beautiful wife, and two or three children. He decided a long time ago that his first son would be named James Sirius Potter. Harry imagined a beautiful house out in the country; a place where he imagined living with his godfather for a glorious half hour. Having a family with Ginny seemed so wonderful--even better than how he imagined it with Kaylie. Once in the middle of Harry's sixth year, Kaylie told him she never wanted to have children. Harry never said anything to her, but deep down, it broke his heart. He wanted to be able to raise the family that his parents never got the chance to do. More and more, Harry began to realize that even if Kaylie never cheated on him, things would have never worked out between them. Harry often wondered if he and Ginny would have a bunch of red-headed children, or if they would have messy jet-black hair like him. He smiled when he thought of his future children bearing the same green eyes Harry got from his mother. They probably would inherit he and his Dad's terrible habit of getting into trouble. He would probably pass down the Marauder's Map and invisibility cloak to his first child.

That year, Harry had one of the best Christmases ever. Not only did he finally have a date to big Christmas party at the Burrow, but his date was part of the family that he loved as if they were his own. It was almost too perfect. There were tons of family and friends at the Burrow that year. There was all of Molly and Arthur's children and grandchildren, plus Lupin with his girlfriend Sophia, Hagrid and Madme Maxime, whom were finally engaged to be married, and most members of the Order--even Dumbledore.

The day before the Christmas party, Christmas Eve, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had her children over for a nice holiday evening before the big party the next day. Ginny invited Harry along, which Mrs. Weasley did not mind one bit. Mrs. Weasley and Hermione were in the kitchen baking Christmas cookies and got a head start on tomorrow's big meal. The smell of sugar cookies that drifted into the living room made Harry's mouth water. He, Ginny, Ron, and the Weasley twins decorated the tree together. Harry realized a long time ago that untangling strings of lights was no problem if you were a wizard. All you had to do was wave your wand and say _solvo_. And these stringed lights were much different than what muggles used, because these had no plug. Instead of using electricity, a simple charm would light them right up. Fred and George pleaded with Harry to let them just use magic to put up the lights and ornaments, but Harry insisted they do it the hard way. "We go through this every year!" groaned Fred.

"Why can't we just do it with magic?" complained George.

"It would be so much easier," said Fred.

"And quicker," added George.

"But that's no fun," said Harry. "I never was allowed to be a part of Christmas while growing up with the Dursleys. I'm making up for lost time."

"I think it's kind of nice doing it this way," said Ginny, giving Harry's arm a gentle squeeze.

"I've always thought it was the fun part about Christmas," said Harry.

"Well, I don't know about you, but George and I prefer the part where we get presents!" said Fred. Harry shook his head, smirking at the quirky twins, and went back to adding red and green bulbs to the Christmas tree. Cassandra, Evelina, and Peneolpe decorated the house with garland, Christmas stockings, candles, and statues of Santa and his elves. Moments later, through the front door came Mr. Weasley, Charlie, and Bill, carrying logs for the fireplace. Being at the Burrow during this time of year was so warm and cozy for Harry.

The holidays made Harry miss Sirius the most, and that was the only bad part that Christmas ever brought. Every year, he remembered how happy Sirius was when everyone was together at Grimmauld Place. It was a wonderful Christmas, and everyone seemed to be so joyful together. Harry knew though, that no one was more happy than Sirius that night, who loved so much to be around people again, after lonely months with his horrible house elf, Kreacher. Sirius was always happiest when he was around the people he cared about, just like Harry. When Sirius lost his best friend James, he had spent 12 years alone in Azkaban. The only company he had was the soul-stealing Dementors. Finding his godson, Harry, brought his spirits higher than they'd ever been. It was almost as if James came back to him. When Sirius died, Harry was a complete mess. He never did get over it. But during Christmas time, Harry promised himself he would remember the Sirius Black that was happy when he was with people he cared about, and carefree when he was with his best friends, James Potter and Remus Lupin. It took Harry a long time to learn that the only way to move on is to remember the _good_ times, not the bad.

Harry took yet another cookie from the plate of Christmas cookies that sat on the coffee table. Ginny was sitting between Harry's spread legs on the floor, comfortable in his arms. They happily watched Isabella, Charlie's four-year-old, try and roast a marshmellow in the fireplace in her mother's lap. All of the other kids were upstairs in the spare bedrooms sleeping peacefully. A charmed statue of Father Christmas and his elves were softly playing some holiday music. She was snuggled on the loveseat comfortably with her husband Arthur. Ron and Fred were playing a game of Wizard's Chess. Harry laughed as he heard the pieces dueling each other. Hermione kept muttering about what an awful game that was. "Saved your life, don't forget," said Ron. Charlie was admiring a quill that turned every word you wrote into curse words that George was showing him. He explained it was the hot new item at their joke shop in Diagon Alley. He chuckled as he told Charlie that their joke shop was making more sales than Zonko's that year. Bill and Cassandra sat on the couch with Percy and Penelope. Penelope was excited to talk about she and Percy's wedding plans. Cassandra was one of Penelope's bridesmaids, so they talked at length about the green dresses Penelope picked out for her bridesmaids. Bill and Percy just shook thier heads at each other as the girls talked. "Women," Bill muttered jokingly. It was a very relaxing night for all of them, and it was exactly what they needed, since Christmas day would be hectic with the many guests that would arrive.

When it got late, most of the Weasley children slept at the Burrow. Both Harry and Ginny decided to go home, though. They kissed Mrs. Weasley goodbye and said they would be there early tomorrow. While they had Ginny's parents thinking they were going to their seperate appartments, they really were just going to stay at Harry's. They each had a special Christmas present in store for the other. The two of them apparated to Harry's appartment, hand in hand.

The minute they appeared, they were passionately kissing each other. Harry held her close, not wanting to let go of her for a second. This was going to be the best Chistmas Eve he had in a very long time. Ginny somehow pulled away from his lips, and put her fingers gently over Harry's mouth. "I have an early Christmas present for you," she said seductively.

"Really?" Harry asked with a mischievous look in his eye.

"Yup. Wait for me in the bedroom. I'll be right back," said Ginny, strolling slowly to the bathroom with a tote bag holding her overnight clothes. Harry walked into his bedroom and waited impatiently for Ginny to come out of the loo. He went to the mirror and tried to straighten his messy black hair. Like his father, Harry was never able to get his hair to flatten out. Finally, Ginny slipped out of the bathroom, wearing a silky, red lingerie dress. It hung just below her curvy hips, giving Harry a rush. Her long, blazing red hair framed her face and brushed along her arms as she moved. _She's so beautiful_, Harry thought. She slowly walked up to Harry, wrapping her arms around his body and kissed him firmly on the lips. "Happy Christmas," she whispered, leading Harry to the bed. "I..." Harry began as they sat down on the bed. He took a heavy sigh and looked into her eyes. Harry could feel his heart pumping in his throat. "What is it?" asked Ginny.

"I love you," he whispered. Ginny smiled warmly and inched closer to him as she ran her fingers through his hair. "I love you, too," she replied. Ginny fought back the tears that were threatening to spill, out of the simple joy those words brang. Their lips met and kissed softly, and they slowly laid down on the bed, wrapped in the intense passion they shared. It was the perfect ending to a perfect Christmas Eve, and at that moment, Harry never felt so alive.

The next morning, Harry and Ginny rushed around his appartment, gathering up their Christmas gifts they were going to bring to the Burrow. The family had agreed to meet early in the morning to exchange presents.Ginny and Hermione offered Mrs. Weasley help with cleaning and cooking before the other guests arrived in the late afternoon. Ginny and Harry had accidently slept in from their long night together, and they were frantically trying to get ready as fast as they could.

At around 11am, Ginny and Harry arrived at the Burrow. The rest of the Weasley children were there. The presents were still in tact, and the children were waiting impatiently to open the packages they recieved from Father Christmas. Isabella was begging her father, Charlie, to let her open the big gift first. "That one's for last, sweetie," said Charlie to his oldest daughter. She groaned and continued to walk around the Christmas tree, snooping for the gifts that were for her. "Happy Christmas, everyone!" Ginny said to her family, as she and Harry walked through the door. Everyone in the room waved happily and gave Christmas greetings. "Happy Christmas Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry!" Isabella said sweetly. Claudia giggled with joy, and sqirmed in Hermione's lap. Harry and Ginny made their rounds giving hugs, kisses, and handshakes to the family. Harry picked up Claudia and swung her up in the air. "Hey there cutie pie!" he cooed. "How's my little goddaughter?" Harry said, tickling her belly. Claudia giggled as Harry gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Let me see my beautiful little niece!" Ginny said to Harry, taking Claudia from his arms. Harry began to unload his bag of presents he and Ginny came in with, and set them under the tree. Mrs. Weasley finally announced to everyone, "Okay, time to open the presents!" Isabella scurried to the tree, followed by her mother behind her. Everyone went over to the tree to find their gifts.

There were two items that everyone already knew they would be getting: a sweater, knitted by Mrs. Weasley, and an item from Fred and George's joke shop. Harry thought it wise to never eat any food items recieved from Fred or George. The first gift he opened was from Mrs. Weasley. He pulled out a blue knitted sweater, along with a matching scarf and a pair of mittens from a box. "They're lovely," said Harry. "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley." Molly smiled warmly at Harry. "Well," she said. "It's supposed to be a very cold winter this year, so this way you'll be able to bundle up. You don't want to catch cold, dear." From Ron and Hermione, Harry recieved a Quidditch ball set--something he'd been wanting for a long time. Ron suggested sometime they could get together a group and go to the park out in Hogsmeade to play a few games. It had been so long since Harry played Quidditch. How he longed to ride on his Firebolt, and feel the breath of freedom in the cold London air. Fred gave Harry what they called a "Future Auror Kit." In it were extendable ears, so Harry could hear conversations from a long distance, a sneakoscope, to detect untrustworthyness, and a secrecy sensor, to detect lies and secrets. Of course, these were all items from their shop, so they wern't as good as the real thing, but Fred said to Harry that it would be useful, nonetheless. Harry decided to test them out before using them, knowing how the Weasley twins were. From George was a new item from the twins' joke shop: a book of disguise charms, so Harry could hide his identity when trying to discover any magical misconduct. Harry knew that book was going to be very helpful not only as an auror, but even just working in Misuse of Magic. Charlie and Evelina gave Harry a gift certificate for the Quidditch shop in Diagon Alley, which Harry couldn't wait to spend. From Bill and Cassandra, Harry recieved a brand new Wizard Chess set. Harry had been wanting to try to improve his game, since it was difficult to beat Ron. Percy and Penelope had given Harry an agenda notebook trimmed in gold. It was very fancy, but Harry still found it kind of boring. Percy was the type of person who believed that people should live very organized lives, and should live by a certain schedule everyday. He believed this because this was the way _he_ lived. Percy never seemed to realize that just because it worked for him, didn't mean that it would work well for anyone else. Mr. Weasley's gift was two tickets to go to a Quidditch match that was coming up in a couple of weeks: the Chudley Cannons against Puddlemere United. He thought of taking Ginny, but decided he would take Ron. The Chudley Cannons were Ron's favorite team, and Harry liked Puddlemere ever since Oliver Wood joined them, so he thought it would be a fun day for the two of them. Isabella had drawn Harry a picture of a Christmas tree decorated in golden snitches, which he thought was adorable. He decided he would stick it on his refrigerator when he got home. Claudia presented Harry with a framed picture of her handprint in red paint. Harry couldn't wait to hang it on his wall and proudly tell everyone that his godchild made that for him. The last gift he opened was from Ginny. As he pulled back the gift wrapping, he revealed a silver wristwatch. It was the kind of watch Harry knew Ginny couldn't afford. He smiled warmly, admiring the glimmer of the silver in the light. "Do you like it?" she asked nervously.

"Of course I do, Ginny. It's very lovely," he said, kissing her on the cheek. Ginny helped Harry put the watch on his wrist. He then handed her a gift wrapped in shiny red paper with a silver bow on top. Her eyes widened as she opened the small, rectangular box. Inside, she saw a sparkely, gold chain, with a ruby heart charm in the center. The ruby sparkled and shined with the light from the fireplace. "Oh Harry, it's beautiful!" she cried. "You didn't have to do this!" Harry smiled and lightly kissed her lips. "I wanted to," he said. "Let me help you put it on." He took the necklace from the box and wrapped it around her neck. It gently dangled on her collarbone. She turned around and kissed Harry. He wrapped his arms around her, letting her lean on his shoulder. Mrs. Weasley smiled at the couple, wiping a single tear from her eye.

Once all of the presents were opened, the Weasleys got the Burrow ready for guests to arrive. Molly, Hermione, and Cassandra were busy in the kitchen preparing food for the many people that would arrive that afternoon. Mr. Weasley and Charlie gathered up the open gifts and put them in one of the spare bedrooms so they would be out of the way.

It was a few hours before everyone began to show up. The first person to knock on the door was Remus and Sophia, carrying two overflowing bags full of presents. They greeted everyone as they came in. Lupin gave Harry a hug, patting him on the back. "Hey Stranger! Where have you been hiding out?" he asked Harry.

"Well... I guess you can say I've been busy..." sighed Harry.

"So what's this I've been hearing from Molly about you and Ginny?" Harry smiled warmly and shrugged.

"I s'pose for once, the rumors are true!"

"Well, I'm glad you're doing well. How's work at the Ministry going?"

"Same as always. Still in Misuse of Magic. I've been waiting for an opening in the Aurors, but I have no idea how long that's going to take."

"Well, we all know you deserve that job, that's for sure."

"I hope you're right."

Throughout the day, other guests showed up. Hagrid walked in with his fiance--carrying a pie he made himself, Dumbledore came to the Burrow with bundles of presents, and most of the members of the Order came over. The party was great, just like every year. It didn't take long at all for the Weasley twins to get into the cider and egg nog, making Mrs. Weasley red with fury. Harry swore he thought smoke was going to come out of her ears. Regardless, Fred and George didn't care. They just fell on top of each other, laughing hysterically. Harry and Ron joined in a few card games with the twins, betting sickles and knuts. The entire house was filled with voices of friends and loved ones sharing the holiday. Harry was thrilled to be with all of his friends. Dumbledore looked like age was creeping up on him, yet still had that youthful smile as always. He had presents for everyone. Somehow, Dumbledore had this way of making everyone feel a little warmer.

It was past midnight by the time people were beginning to head home. Harry and Ginny apparated back to his appartment together, holding bags filled with opened gifts. "Ginny," said Harry as they walked through his appartment door.

"Yes?"

"Why don't we spend the rest of Christmas night at your place? We've been dating for a couple of months already and I still haven't seen your place."

"Harry, there is nothing special about my appartment. My living room is filled with boxes. I'm still living out of my suitcase practically. I haven't had much time to make it look like home."

"What does that matter? We're probably only going to be spending time in the bedroom, anyway!" joked Harry. Ginny laughed, but her face turned serious again.

"Honey, it's not that big of a deal, is it? I like your place better."

"Ginny, there just something not right about dating someone for over two months and never seeing what their appartment looks like."

"Well, if it means that much to you, we can go there sometime. But tonight, I'm tired, and we're already here. Let's just go to bed."

"Oh alright. But promise me I'll see your place soon."

"I promise." Harry kissed the top of her head, and then walked over to the kitchen to make a cup of tea before they went to bed. All of a sudden, an owl swooped through the living room window and dropped a folded piece of paper into Ginny's hands. "Who's sending you an owl at this hour?" asked Harry.

"I don't know. Maybe it's just a note from Mum. I probably forgot a parcel there or something. Excuse me, I'll be right back." Ginny then ran into the bathroom with her note before Harry could ask her another question. He just shrugged and poured his tea.

_Dear Ginny,_

_"Harry Christmas" as you English folk would say. France just isn't the same without you. Everyone here has been asking me about you. I told them you're back in London, working as a nurse in the hospital. I got your presentl last night--which I love, by the way. I was just wondering if you got yours. I sent an owl last night, so it should have arrived by now. I know you've been busy at the hospital, though, and you were probably with your parents tonight, so just let me know when you got it._

_By the way--when are you going to come pay a visit? I miss you. I really hope to see you sometime soon. Maybe you could come here for New Years Eve. If you have to work, though, I understand. Let me know._

_Love you lots,_

_Pierre_

Ginny took her wand and whispered a spell to make the note disappear. She took a deep sigh, splashed water on her face and began to open the door.

_What am I going to do? _Ginny wondered silently, as she brushed a tear from her eye.


	7. New Years Shock

Broken Hearted  
Chapter 7: New Years Shock

For New Years Eve, Harry and Ginny decided to join the Weasleys at the Three Broomsticks. As usual, Percy and Penelope didn't join. They stayed at the Burrow with Molly and Arthur and the kids. The pub was filled with wizards from all over. Even Seamus, Dean, and Neville were there with dates. It felt like a Hogwarts class reunion or something.

Just like any New Years celebration, many of the wizards there were drinking. Fred and George preferred doing shots of firewhiskey to the wine their brothers Bill and Charlie were drinking with their wives. Harry was convinced red-headed twins could out-drink anyone there. Drunk or not drunk, though, Fred and George were always a lot of fun.

The Weird Sisters were playing a live show there that night, making the occasional announcement of how many hours until midnight. Everyone was cheering on the dance floor. The entire pub was packed. Harry and Ginny sat at a table with Ron and Hermione, trying to talk loudly over the music and noise from the crowd. Throughout the night, more and more people were joining the table. Neville introduced his new girlfriend to everyone. His face was beaming. Harry couldn't remember the last time Neville looked that happy. He hoped silently to himself that Neville's parents were doing much better. Many people that Harry saw over Christmas showed up, like Hagrid and Madme Maxime and Lupin with his fiance. Harry couldn't have been happier, being surrounded by so many people that he cared about.

At around nine o'clock walked in two more Hogwarts graduates. No one was expecting them to show up--especially Harry. It was none other than Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy. The place went nearly silent when they walked in.

"Well, well, well," said Malfoy in a nasty voice. "I guess the rumors about Potty's new bird are true! Figures you'd end up with a Weasley." Harry met Malfoy's cold blue eyes.

"I'd say it's quite an improvement to my _last_ girlfriend," said Harry, shooting a darting look at Kaylie. "Have to admit, she's more _your_ type, anyway."

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean, Potter?" Malfoy was getting angry, and people were beginning to fear a fight would break out between the two rivaling wizards.

"Whatever you want it to mean," Harry said cooly.

"You bloody bastard!" muttered Kaylie. "You act like what we had for a year was nothing!"

"And ever since I discovered you were two-timing me, I realized that it _was_ nothing."

"Don't talk to my woman like that!" said Malfoy.

"Or you'll do _what_, exactly?" Draco threw back a shot of firewhiskey that was sitting on the bar, and then smashed open a butterbeer bottle.

"I suppose your magic must be rusty," Harry said with a smirk. Harry took out his wand, said _repairo_ to fix the mess of broken glass.

"Well, I can't be using _magic_ to hurt you--not now that I've been considered for the Aurors!"

"You've got to be joking. _You_? What would they want _you_ for?"

"DId you honestly think they would pick _you_? That's a laugh! They obviously picked the best man for the job. All they have to do is run a few tests and then they'll be sending me to training."

"I suppose the ministry has forgotten who your father was."

"Oh, they told me that they realize that _I was just an innocent bystander of a troubled childhood, and that I'm nothing like my father!_" he said innocently. The nasty Malfoy grin returned to Draco's face. "Face it, Potter. I am going to be an Auror, and you will be nothing but a useless officer in Misuse of Magic, busting teenagers for turning water into rum. How pathetic!" The entire room was now completely silent, listening to the confrontation. Harry was burning with anger, wanting to hurt Malfoy in any way he could, but just stood there, too paralyzed to do anything.

"This party blows. Let's just go back to the _huge mansion_ that we live in and have the house elves cook up a nice big meal for us!" bragged Malfoy, tugged Kaylie with him out the door. Slowly, noise began to fill the room again.

Ginny could see that Harry was still angry after minutes that the Malfoys left the pub. "Don't let him ruin your night. He's just rubbing it in because he _knows_ you're better than him. He's _always_ been jealous of your talents," she reassured soothingly.

"I'm not so convinced."

"Well, if it's any counselation, Kaylie didn't seem too happy with him."

"Good. She _deserves_ a Malfoy." They paused. Harry looked down at the table miserably.

"Come on, I'll treat you to a butterbeer." Harry shrugged gloomily. "I love you," Ginny whispered in his ear. Harry kissed Ginny gently on her lips. "I love you, too," he said, walking to the bar with her.

It was getting closer and closer to midnight, and everyone at The Three Broomsticks were getting pretty drunk and rowdy. Hermione convinced Ron to dance with her a few times. They tried to cheer up Harry as best as they could, hoping it would help. Fred and George succeeded in cheering him up, when they staggered onto the stage with The Weird Sisters, and did a striptease all the way down to their boxer shorts. The girls in the crowd whistled and screamed for them. Harry and his friends were doubled over laughing. Leave it to the Weasley Twins to make a party more interesting. Harry got over his anger and went back to having a great time with his friends. Ginny was right; letting Draco Malfoy ruin his night just wasn't worth it.

When midnight finally fell upon them, Harry and Ginny kissed passionately, along with the other couples in the crowd. Fred was kissing one of the girls in the crowd that catcalled him while he was stripping, and George was kissing another girl, trying to make a grab for her arse. She slapped him when he finally succeeded. The night began to calm down as people were beginning to go home. "I'm tired," yawned Ginny. "We should get going."

"Can we stay at your place tonight for a change?" asked Harry.

"I suppose so," she said, too tired to care.

They walked into Ginny's small appartment. Harry looked around, wondering why there were only one or two boxes out, and not the huge mess that Ginny described. They made their way into the bedroom and almost instantly, Ginny laid down on the bed. Harry noticed there was an envelope on the dresser, waiting for Ginny to open it. "Hey Ginny, I think your owl brought you something while we were gone." She jumped up from the bed to grab the letter, but Harry had already picked it up. "Oh, I'll take a look at that in the morning," she said.

"Who's _Pierre_?" Harry asked

"A friend from school," Ginny answered nervously.

"_Really?_" Harry did not sound at all convinced.

"Harry, it's not what you think, I swear."

"When were planning on telling me about this guy?" Ginny began to cry looking at the anger in Harry's eyes. "I was a bloody fool to fall for this shit again! I can hardly believe this!"

"Harry, I _love_ you! You _know_ that!" cried Ginny. "If you could just let me explain--"

"I think _this_ explains enough!" shouted Harry. "You're just like Kaylie... a _whore_... just like her!" Ginny cried harder, wanting to say anything to Harry that would make him stay, but it was no use--Harry already disapperated. With tears in her eyes, she opened the letter from Pierre.

_Dear Ginny,_

_I have recieved your letter, and words are hard to explain how I am feeling right now. We've shared two wonderful years, and I'm not sure I'm ready for it to end. We promised when you left we would try and make this work, but I guess the distance is just too much. You're right--we're both busy with our own seperate lives. I guess it was only a matter of time._

_But the hardest thing for me to believe is that you are in love with another. You and I were so close, and I could never imagine either one of us with anyone else. I understand that you two have been dating for a few months now. I wish you would have told me sooner. You mentioned how hard it's been to break this to me, and I suppose I can understand that. If there's one thing about you I've always loved is that you would never want to hurt anyone. And I won't lie--I am hurt... but I guess I can understand where you're coming from. You were ready to move on to new and exciting things, and I wanted everything to stay the same. I always knew you couldn't stay here in France forever, and you always knew that I wouldn't be able to leave. I guess it was doomed from the start._

_All I can say right now is that whomever you love is a very lucky man, and I hope he makes you happy. I'll never forget you, Ginny. I do hope that we can continue to be friends._

_With love,_

_Pierre_

Ginny put her face in her hands and sobbed all night long, not being able to sleep a wink. That night, she lost not one, but two people she loved very dearly. She wished she could go back and do things differently, but the damage was already done. If there were some way she could explain everything to Harry...


End file.
